1932 Kimberley rescue

Template:Use Australian English Template:Infobox aircraft occurrence

Flight paths across the Timor Sea

Zones of landing and rescue. 1. Initial touchdown near Berkeley River mouth on 15 May 1932; 2. Secondary landing site; ... 9, Location of rescue

In May 1932, aviator Hans Bertram and mechanic Adolph Klausmann were saved after an attempt to fly around the globe in a Junkers W 33 seaplane ended in distress. Following departure from Koepang, Dutch Timor, they encountered severe weather over the Timor Sea on 15 May, compelling them to make an emergency landing along a remote section of the northern coastline of Western Australia's Kimberley region. The two men survived nearly six weeks in harsh conditions with minimal sustenance before being discovered by Indigenous fishermen on 22 June.

World circumnavigation expedition

On 29 February 1932, a team of four aviators departed from Cologne, Germany, embarking on a global flight mission. The crew consisted of pilot Hans Bertram, co-pilot Thom, mechanic Adolph Klausmann, and cameraman Alexander von Lagorio. Their journey aimed to explore new markets for German aviation products and serve as a goodwill tour connecting German communities worldwide. The aircraft was a float-equipped Junkers W 33 registered as D-1925 and named Atlantis.

During a period exceeding ten weeks, the team successfully navigated through numerous countries including Italy, Greece, Turkey, Iraq, India, Ceylon, Burma, Thailand, Malaya, the Dutch East Indies, and Dutch Timor. Upon reaching Jakarta, it was decided that Bertram and Klausmann would continue flying southward through the Indonesian islands towards Australia. Meanwhile, Thom and von Lagorio planned to travel by alternate means with the intention to regroup in Shanghai, China.

The plane underwent engine maintenance at the Dutch naval airfield in Soerabaja (present-day Surabaya), located in the Dutch East Indies. Bertram and Klausmann departed from this location on 13 May and refuelled at a bay near Koepang (now Kupang) in western Dutch Timor the next day. At midnight on 14 May they took off from Koepang bound for Darwin, Australia—a journey estimated to cover approximately 450 nautical miles (830 km; 520 mi) expected to last five to six hours. While flying over the Timor Sea en route to arrive at dawn the following day, they encountered intense storm conditions which forced them to land their seaplane in the first sheltered inlet they could find due to dwindling fuel reserves.

Though initially believing they had landed on Melville Island north of Darwin, their actual location was Cape St Lambert (14°20′1.2″S 127°46′45.4″E), situated just north of where the Berkeley River empties into Joseph Bonaparte Gulf along Western Australia's coastline—approximately 370 kilometres (230 mi) southwest of Melville Island.

Stopovers	Country	Date	Notes
Cologne	Germany
Friedrichshafen	Germany
Lugano	Switzerland
Porto Fossone	Italy	29 February 1932
Venice	Italy	5 March 1932
Brindisi	Italy
Athens	Greece	11 March 1932
Castellorisso	Greece
Alexandretta	Turkey
Deir-ez Zor	Syria	18 March 1932
Baghdad	Iraq
El Khidr	Iraq
Basra	Iraq	23 March 1932
Bushire	Iran	24 March 1932
Gwadar	India
Karachi	India	26 March 1932
Bombay	India	29 March 1932
Mangalore	India	31 March 1932
Cochin	India
Colombo	Ceylon	2 April 1932

Stopovers continued	Country	Date	Notes

Lost

The improvised canoe

Surrounded by dense and unforgiving wilderness, the aviators encountered an Aboriginal man on their initial night, but communication failed and he departed. With merely 15 litres (3.3 imp gal; 4.0 US gal) of fuel remaining, they opted to attempt another takeoff, aiming westward toward what they believed was Darwin. Although they succeeded in becoming airborne, the engine stalled due to fuel depletion, forcing them to land on a beach approximately 35 kilometres (22 mi) away.

Unable to locate any water sources, their only hope was that the Aboriginal man they had previously met might offer assistance. They secured the aircraft and began retracing their steps on foot to the earlier bay. Enduring scorching heat, severe thirst, hunger, and relentless swarms of flies, they also faced a crocodile attack while trying to swim across an inlet, losing their clothing in the process. Barefoot and unclothed, they abandoned the search and decided to return to the plane. After seven days trekking inland without water, clothing, or footwear—besieged by mosquitoes and utterly exhausted—they finally reached the seaplane once more.

Thirteen days into their ordeal, they emptied the radiator of its remaining water and detached one of the seaplane’s floats to fashion a makeshift kayak. They began paddling westward. The vessel MV Koolinda passed within about 500 metres (1,640 ft) but failed to spot them. After four days and nights of paddling, they landed north of Cape Bernier, east of King George River.

Still under the impression they were on Melville Island, they attempted an overland journey seeking civilization. Upon realizing they were not on an island, they returned to their float. Since it had been damaged, they cut off a portion to make it usable again. The shortened float proved less stable at sea; after only a few kilometers, they deemed it unsafe to continue and returned ashore. There, beneath a rock ledge at Cape Bernier, they found shelter and waited until rescue arrived.

Search and rescue

Klausmann, Bertram and rescuer Constable Gordon Marshall alongside Aboriginal trackers who found the two men

Four days post-disappearance, the Dutch gunboat HNLMS Flores departed Surabaya to search along the intended Timor Sea route. Responding to a request from the German Consul-General, Western Australia initiated coordinated land, sea, and aerial searches at potential landing locations. A West Australian Airways de Havilland DH.50 mail aircraft was hired for this mission. Coastal vessels from the State Shipping Service were alerted to maintain vigilance.

On 13 June, Aboriginal trackers discovered a cigarette case inscribed with "HB" initials along with a handkerchief; these were handed over to a missionary traveling by boat. The exact location details were unclear and delayed by telegraph malfunctions before reaching authorities; once received, ground searches intensified significantly. Approximately sixty individuals participated directly in this widely publicized search.

On 15 June, an aerial search located the seaplane on a beach near Rocky Island, roughly 160 kilometres (99 mi) from Wyndham; however, there was no trace of the aviators. Several days later, the Wyndham Meat Works launch Kimberley reached the site and discovered a note left by them: "27 May 1932. Australia. Today we left the plane in float as a boat in a westerly direction. Bertram."

The men were eventually found on 22 June taking refuge in a cave near Cape Bernier by local Aboriginal people. They were near death after being lost for 39 days. A police team led by Constable Marshall arrived a week later and transported them by boat to Wyndham hospital on 6 July. Their ordeal had spanned 53 days in total. Klausmann had suffered mental deterioration due to the extreme conditions and required restraint.

Later developments

Following their recovery in Wyndham, both men were transported to Perth. Bertram accepted an invitation to travel aboard a West Australian Airways mail aircraft, departing Wyndham on 13 July. Upon arrival at Maylands Aerodrome, the plane was welcomed by an enthusiastic crowd of approximately 6,000 spectators. Later that evening, Bertram delivered a radio broadcast from the Australian Broadcasting Commission's 6WF studios, marking the inaugural public transmission from Western Australia to the Eastern states.

While in Perth, Bertram was hosted by Norman Brearley, the founder of West Australian Airways, who became a close acquaintance. On 18 September, accompanied by Fred Sexton, a mechanic from WAA, Bertram revisited the site where the plane had been abandoned. They brought along fuel and a spare float salvaged from a de Havilland DH.50, which they successfully fitted onto the Junkers aircraft. Subsequently, they flew the restored plane back to Perth, landing in Matilda Bay on the Swan River on 24 September 1932.

Due to health concerns that prevented him from flying, Klausmann traveled to Perth later in July aboard the Koolinda. He eventually returned to Germany via steamer but never fully regained his health.

After detaching the floats from his aircraft, Bertram embarked on an extensive tour across Australia over several months. During this period, he visited numerous cities and towns where he delivered lectures. His arrival in Kalgoorlie was overshadowed by an accident when he crashed the plane at the local airport, causing significant damage but fortunately no serious injuries. Fred Sexton was dispatched to assist with repairs. Bertram ultimately returned to Berlin on 17 April 1933 and was greeted with widespread acclaim.

Bertram authored a book recounting his ordeal titled Flug in die Hölle (Flight into Hell) and later enjoyed a prosperous career as a film director.

In 1985, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation produced a four-part television miniseries titled Flight into Hell, adapted from Hans Bertram's book, with Gordon Flemyng serving as director.

The improvised canoe used during their journey was retrieved by personnel from the Western Australian Museum in 1975.

Tribute

The survival ordeal of the aviators and their subsequent rescue by the Aboriginal group known as the Balanggarra were highlighted during a solo journey undertaken by Australian explorer Michael Atkinson (also known as Outback Mike) in 2018. With authorization from the Balanggarra custodians, Atkinson spent a month navigating and trekking through the identical terrain, equipped only with the minimal supplies and survival gear that had been accessible to the German pilots—his sole additional safety measure being a satellite tracker. He documented this expedition in a self-produced film titled Surviving the Kimberley, released on DVD. Coverage of his venture appeared in Peter de Kruijff’s article for The Kimberley Echo dated 29 January 2018, as well as in issue number 145 of Australian Geographic magazine.

Bibliography

• Bertram, Hans (1977). Flug in die Hölle : Mein grosses Abenteuer (in German). Herbig, Munchen. ISBN 3776608269.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
• Harrison-Ford, Carl; Hudson, Michael J; Bertram, Hans (1985). Flight into Hell. Currey O'Neil, Melbourne. ISBN 085902234X. (English translation and adaptation of Flug in die Hölle)
• Winter, Barbara (1979). Atlantis Is Missing : A Gripping True Story of Survival in the Australian Wilderness. Angus & Robertson. ISBN 0207142335.
• Winter, Barbara (1985). Atlantis, A Flight into Hell : the true story of Australia's most bizarre air rescue. Angus & Robertson. ISBN 0207152039. (republication of Atlantis Is Missing)

External links

• Photographs of bays and related areas
• Interview transcript featuring Michael McCarthy from the WA Maritime Museum and George Negus